Winter had come to Hollow Bastion, bringing bewilderment to the old and excitement to the young. Snowflakes of the purest white coated the structures that formed the once great city, temperatures sinking to a chilly but reasonable cold that would not cause great harm to those in poverty. A woman of immaculate physical beauty was traveling along the backstreets. Dressed in a wool coat that was as white as the snow falling to the ground, the individual’s pale legs were perfectly revealed beneath it. Shapely as her figure was, the temperature of the world as it was now should have brought some harsh discomfort to the ordinary individuals of the world, but this woman was not ordinary. And she was after someone. Halting once she found a lead on her target, she planted her brown boots on the ground firmly. Instantaneously her body had shifted into a thousand petals of white before traveling skyward, only to reform at the site of a recently ruined warehouse. From there she formed herself, standing casually as her target raced forward. Upon seeing her again, the target turned to flee once again, but was quickly halted as a brewing storm had encircled both the target and the pursuer in this zone. “Okay, that’s enough of that shit, I’m tired of following you now.” Mumbled Yoko, her deep blue eyes offering no hint of patience. Brushing back her white fringe, her attention was brought to the targets left arm, having turned discolored after their brief encounter several minutes prior to this moment. Still, her amusement was draining, and it was time to get underway with what this was really about.“Look, I said I was going to kill you, so we’re doing this now. You never had a chance to outrun me, I’m pretty much Death.” Her eyes narrowed and she looked off to her left. “Okay, his daughter, but still, second coming and all.” “Why are you trying to kill me!?” Shouted Mikuru over the roar of the storm, clutching onto her frozen arm uselessly. She had lost feeling in it since their first clash. She had managed to cast her ability on Yoko, but Yoko won in the long run. “I didn’t do anything to you!” “Because it’s hilarious to me.” Yoko replied plainly, stepping closer to Mikuru and sending chills of fear and bitter cold down her spine even further. Mikuru flinched and tried to step back, but it was even colder behind her than it was near Yoko herself. Going through this barrier would mean she’d die, and facing Yoko was her only option. Either way, she was fucked.“Well, okay, maybe not just that. Hold on.”Yoko paused, retrieving a small slip of paper from her coat pocket. Unfolding it, she casually looked over the contents and began to read to Mikuru. “Yoko, I had Pepper write this down in case you managed to forget your task. Maintain discretion, don’t show off ...blah blah blah …oh, here: Start with ‘Mikuru’ and work your way up as you feel necessary, don’t interact with the active members of the Empire if it can be helped. There!” “That doesn’t explain anything!” Mikuru cried “Explaining things to someone who’s already dead is a waste of my precious time, and you’ve already wasted enough.” Yoko peered up at Mikuru, then back down at her notes, appearing unimpressed.Within the notes was a detailed list of what Mikuru could do, and none of it was going to make her an entertaining foe. “Oh, you’re one of those people. Speed, boring, but you’re not outrunning the cold. So that leaves you with …increased physical strength, which won’t matter because I’ll freeze you to death if you come that close. You can use that defense spell thing but you can’t defend from the cold, not like my power is based on magic anyway. Your attempt at halting my movements was your best shot, but as you can see it cost you an arm. Knowing anything about me is useless because you’re dead so Libra or whatever is out of the picture, aaaaaaand lastly we have some darkness spell that you can’t use right now.” Folding the note and pocketing it again, Yoko shrugged her shoulders. “You’re dead, yeah, no getting around it. So just expose your neck and I’ll make this quick for you.” “L-Like hell!” Mikuru argued, although without the use of her dominant arm she was left in a poor position. What could she do? “I haven’t even touched you yet and you’re moaning too much.” Yoko yawned quietly and raised her right arm, index finger pointed towards Mikuru. “Between you and me I was going to sleep with you first, but something told me you’d be a pretty lousy fuck. And you’re whining so much that I’ve reconsidered using my blade. It’s over now, Ciao~” “What—“ The storm that surrounded them and repelled all citizens had collapsed onto Mikuru in an instant, enveloping her in the unforgiving grasp of death’s frigid embrace. It was quick and painless, and although the rushing wind and snow had ceased once Mikuru was covered, all it left was a frozen statue that encased the girl within, a last look of horror on her face. The falling snow around Hollow Bastion had ceased, Yoko’s hunt concluded soundly, but at least the good people could enjoy a little snow in the middle of spring. Approaching the statue with a smirk, she flicked it with her finger, and immediately it had collapsed into diamond dust without a trace of Mikuru to remain. “Alright, who was next again?”

The very next morning, Yu once again found himself back the bar from the previous day. His reason for returning was the small merchant that passed him by. As he was talking about seeking help for something, Yu couldn't help but ask him if he required assistance. The merchant, who introduced himself as Okal, simply told Yu to return to the bar the next day. He had a proposition for him, and his work would possibly earn him a little bit of money. As strange as his terms were, Yu was beginning to become a little tight on money, especially after he bought the scarf after their brief encounter. Yu agreed to the merchants terms, and left the bar for the day. Sitting at the same table as yesterday, he began sipping on a cup of coffee. He sweetened it with enough cream and sugar to his liking, leaving out any bitter taste in his mouth. Surprisingly enough, the coffee here was quite delectable, and it was tempting to get another cup after this one. He began to think about the potential job that he had lined up. It seemed that Yu signed himself up for mercenary work, an idea that was entirely foreign to him. When he accepted jobs in other worlds, he normally did things such as delivering mail, cleaning, working part time at shops, and so on. It's not that he wasn't a stranger to combat. The idea of fighting for money wasn't something that never really caught his attention. Despite the fact that he had second thoughts about this, he felt his money pouch, feeling how the contents inside began to dwindle slowly. While playing with his pouch, a waitress approached him, directing his attention to over to the bartender. The said bartender motioned him over the back room, which then the waitress handed him a note. Slide the bookcase over, and walk down the stairs. When you get to the end, ask for Osa. The note was unsigned, but he figured that it was left behind by Okal. Yu hesitated for a few seconds, before he got up from his seat. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out the amount of money he owed for the coffee, and placed it into the waitress's hands. She thanked him with a smile, before returning to take care of the other customers. He entered the back room, spotting the bookcase that the note mentioned on the back wall. Noticeably, the bookcase was nearly bare, probably to make it easier for people to move it to the side. Grabbing the side of it with both of his hands, he gently, and easily, moved it over to the side, revealing a staircase leading downwards. Yu walked down the stairs, making sure to slide the bookcase back over the passage. It wasn't a long walk down, but without the light coming from the bar behind him, it made it much harder to see. His only light source was the meager light that was coming from the room down at the bottom. Once he reached the end, he was greeted by a man and two woman. The three of them looked like they had just awoken from a deep slumber. The man and the woman sitting across from him were both drinking what smelled like tea. Had he known refreshments were available, he probably would have skipped on spending more money of coffee. "Hello, my name is Yu Matsunaga. I was instructed to make my way down here and ask for Osa." he greeted the three with a bow. The atmosphere wasn't tense. Rather, it felt warm. Whoever these three were, they seemed like friendly enough people. But judging how secretive everything is, Yu's mind kept wandering back to the possibility of this being a mercenary job. At this point, it seemed too late to back down, so he would just have to stick with it until the end, and get his money. He patiently stood, waiting for a reply from one of the strangers.

There was a loud shattering sound of glass shattering all around Salforge as he held the phone to his ear, his blocks crumbling and cracking away needlessly as they'd served their purpose. Funny how some where born, into poverty or with a silver spoon in their mouths. Into unstable homes, the lap of luxury or without anyone to right out call family. Salforge to cohere with being abandoned, discovered by a king and mad man. Raised to prefer the cold grasp of solitude, the heartless around could understand, they were mindless and savage creatures that were ruled by the vice of gluttony. "I did some information gathering while scouting Nomis abomination, low and behold, it seemed to have been created to track this target of yours. That informant's killer seems to be irrelevant now so I'm choosing to disband that investigation." Salforge's eyes hardened, the people in the surrounding area, those that chose to stay were focused on the standalone mercenary occupied with a device foreign to their world. It seemed like technology was limited on this world, it was fine, he was familiar with these residents. Nearly 20 years he'd traveled worlds after the even that put him in his current position. The empire was supposed to be a scourge, and he belonged only through means of a contract and agreement. "Our enemy is that gentleman you had the unpleasant conversation with. You humans have some strange code of how you address one another, seems unreasonable as to why there couldn't have been a more tactful way to exchange information. I digress, he was harboring the girl and seems adamant on a futile sprint away, at the cost of choosing to wait a little too long." He sighed, beginning to pick up his feet and leave the scene, the heartless that remained scurried around and about in a rampant manner. It was in their nature as savages to persist and chase the people, here, the resident of their people gave choice of abandonment. Standing to reason using basic logic and instinct that was the natural response he would've chosen, you calculate your own odds of survival first and foremost. Salforge would sooner commit suicide before the enemy could discern or uncover information, he's already in a weird position if he was to die as is. "When we've regrouped I'll relay all additional information to you. Lastly, we need to talk about Gavin...before he becomes a problem for the empire." -------- Gavin//Nightmare - Flashback? -------- He could remember well enough, he was about six years old at the time and he thought nothing of it. Gavin sat at the table addressed by his parents, he was the youngest sibling out of two, and there was an extranuous amount of friction between his father and his older sibling. Introduced a she, Gavin had an older sister and from their expressions in development she was about four to six years his senior. As kids, he'd grown to respect, look up to, and admire his sister. Something like that of a role model if you will, as it stood she was inspiration, and often very good and raising morale. She had dreams that spread outside holding their family name, Gavin was taught at this age, that he was to never present his family name to other worlds, it was one of the rules his family was adamant on, their sacred cow. His older sister, she had dreams of leaving their home, possibly travel and become something other than what her family expected of her. To take over their house, aspire to respect the industry and master the many markets that they controlled. In defiance, Gavin's older sister always expressed the utmost respect when their parents walked on egg shells with her. This lasted for a number of years, as Gavin grew from early childhood to his teen years, the friction between his sister and their parents became a much more frequent thing. He imagined it almost as if it were yesterday, the path of dissent had started. His sister wanted to travel and study on other worlds, naturally their father was against this idea. House rules came into play, to never jeopardize the family's lifeblood or reputation in anyway, to alleviate this, it was preferred his sister stayed on their home world. Gavin's sister outright refused, and was forced to make a hard choice of whether or not to earn her freedom. As the imperial forces tread upon their home world at one point, his sister saw this as an opportunity to further her own esteemed goals. She was a proficient user of magic arts, more practical in logic and efficiency than Gavin, but he felt that this wasn't the answer. So he approached her one day and attempted to offer an alternative. "Sis, I don't think this is a good idea, you shouldn't be trying to fiddle with the empire. They're bad news and you know it, this isn't like you." "If it makes you feel any better Gavin, I'm going on a mission for a very long time and I intend to do all I can to be of help to those that I encounter." These were the last words he'd been left with, and ringing about four years old in his mind, he couldn't be satisfied with such an unrealistic answer. His sister gained notoriety over time, and it as word hit his home world, it caused his father to explode. He'd even go so far as to revoke claim of his child and tasking Gavin with her execution, to think this is what it would come to. Gavin marveled at the deception that his sister left, only to feel angered...ashamed, and disappointed as he expected more from his only family. The time of her absence ate away at him, eventually hardening Gavin who could no longer hold faith and trust in the family he lost, now tasked with their execution as per house rules. It was a cruel vendetta...and his eyes seemed to sliver open. As Gavin sat up straight in his bed, he tried to to aggregate the sling but he could only think of what was inevitable. The room had dropped to sub-zero temperatures, and Gavin's red eyes flicker brown briefly in midst of everything he remembered. Grim, but he was responsible for taking care of business, the prism was there as insurance that his cooperation was not to be questioned. "You really know...how to ruin your only brother's life...I hate you so much..." Gavin muttered, being forced into a position that he wasn't the least bit happy with. "IF there are more like that Ryoko woman, and that merc, I may consider joining the rebels...they don't need my baggage honestly. Hmm..." the youth pondered, he was cursed and it felt like his life would just end up damaging others. He could recall, as he was being carried away once he'd given himself up to the empire, with hopes of finding that woman, the mercenary said something unexpected. "All I see when I look at you is a great tragedy that is about to be underway. I think it's better for you, to forget whatever your planning and choose to serve us, if it means to live. I've seen way too many kids die, they don't have my pity, but my deductive abilities as to incur why make clearly irrational decisions if it means your success rate is less than fifty percent? Trust me Gavin, whatever you want from us, we're going to crush you every time you oppose us." He started to rattle and shake at remembrance of this, hollow bastion was where he was sure he would find her. If these were his odds...he was left without much of a choice in the manner, he wanted them gone...he wanted more than what this family mission thrust him into. Sliding from his bed, he tread lightly down the stairs, moving into the room occupied with bodies, pointing out Osa and Ace both. "Hey, Ace do you have a minute? I want to ally with you guys, but I need to be brutally honest before you choose to accept anything from me." Gavin proceeded to pull up a chair, and review with Ace one on one. He'd given him all information with the exception of his family's name as per his household rule (which he also explains). His intent was to execute a member of the empire, and beyond that he would be finished, and return home. He didn't have a name to give them, it was an issue of permissions but he could identify the person on sight and none that they've encountered or he's encountered has been the same person.

With the events of yesterday afternoon fresh in his mind, Alem Elshadeed kept a close eye on Asahina as she slept. On their arrival to his ‘home’, he had immediately settled Aseela who was quite unused to a method of transportation other than herself. Asahina still in his grasp, the young man quickly brought her inside and laid her to rest on his bed. Removing his cloak and bringing it around himself once again, he drew the covers back across her and could only allow her exhaustion to bring forth sleep. She was unresponsive after her attack on the monster, yet it could not be entirely unexpected when you fully engulfed a foreign object like that without hesitation. The only emotion that could be identified was fear and confusion. Leaning against the wall directly across from his bed, Asahina would rise up with a sudden jerk and immediately be able to spot him. His eyes would meet hers, and with arms still crossed he moved himself from his resting position to get a good look at her. At least she was able to react to her environment, otherwise they’d really be in a tight spot. Asahina had returned to a more meek and worried state. “You won’t hurt me.” Alem replied as though it were fact, not a belief. Alem would exit the room momentarily, returning with a couple pears and a cup of water. Due to his roaming he was not well-stocked on consumables, much of what he carried was with Aseela at all times. Coming beside her, he handed her the cup and placed both pears in her lap before he pulled away, not out of fear but of respecting personal space. As she might notice now, the cloak he covered her with was back on his person for the time being. “I’ve reached out to a friend, he’ll be here shortly. But before I introduce you to him, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me who you are.” It may have been awkward for her to look up at him and eat at the same time, and so Alem knelt down so their eyes were level with one another. “They captured you, took you from your home, and placed you into a ‘machine’ …why would they go out of their way to do this to you? To go so far as to release a monster and endanger the lives of others, all for either killing you or taking you back. You’re more than you let on before.” Alem was much more talkative now, as much more happened to be on the line. Asahina withheld information that would have likely been of vital use to him in keeping her safe, yet she told him nothing. Either her state of mind brought some kind of amnesia, or she did it on purpose. As strange as it might have seemed, Alem believed that Asahina was an honest person, and that she wouldn’t keep something from him. The way she carried herself, even with that appearance, spoke more than her words. ~-~ “So how’s it looking? Can we get in?” “Getting in isn’t the problem, young lady. It’s finding what we are looking for and getting out without sounding any alarms.” Rika and Okal journeyed from the ‘Oasis’ bar as the others continued to rest. Osa had stirred and awoken just as they were preparing to go, forewarning her about the arrival of a young man who he had hired to join them in their cause. A splitsecond decision, but one he hoped prove beneficial. Even in the early morning the heat was already settling over Agrabah, having Rika wrap her jacket around her waist as she walked beside Okal atop a camel. Given that this trip to find a ‘hero’ of Agrabah would bring them to the outskirts of town towards the west, they had a little time to kill, and it was more than obvious that they were the only ones with a mind for strategy at the moment. “You said something about a Sultan?”Rika asked. Okal nodded, stroking his beard as he did so. Unlike so many others, Okal loved early mornings. The city was quiet and preparing for the day, and it allowed him some peace and quiet before opening time for his own business. Word travels fast, but it traveled to him faster than anyone else. “You talk quietly, so keep this to yourself: He’s alive, as is most of the guard loyal to him. Thanks to that creature you spoke of yesterday, I’ve managed to acquire the information necessary to keep the peace without risking the necks of my men inside. Because of that distraction, it cut the risks right in half.” “So, is he rich?” “In trinkets and gold, yes. Information? No, he is as dry as the ground beneath us. There is more wealth in information than there is any gold, but gold is pretty good too, no?” “Agreed. What about the factory?”Rika pressed. The Sultan had a daughter, and if her hunch was correct then that daughter was the one fueling the factory hidden here. “Underneath the palace, far beneath the prison cells keeping the Sultan captive. My man wouldn’t go any further, but if it is like you described, that is the place you are looking for.” Okal glanced to Rika. “You are certain that is where the Princess might be held?” “It’s a guess, but there’s no way they’d have killed her, not if she's carrying what I think she is.” Rika looked to Okal now, glad to have someone to talk some strategy with for the time being. It was unlikely many people out here understood the importance of it as they did. “How much pull does your guard captain have with the others?” “Enough. If his word won’t count among the fresh ones, coin will. Coin always tempts the weak-minded, and it’s not as if this Empire has any guards of intelligence. However, you do not get as far as I have in this world without knowing never to underestimate your foe, no matter how simple. The stupid ones always seem to surprise you the most.” Nodding her head in agreement, Rika scanned the area once-over. Her hearing detected no heartbeats following after them, and it wasn’t as if they were speaking loud enough to be overheard to begin with. Still, Okal had a point that Rika could agree with. “We can do a head count when we get back, how much further?” “Not far, not far. As long as we stick on the outside we should be fine, look for Aseela, his horse. It is hard to keep those two apart.” Rika had to admit that that horse was gorgeous, and if this guy Okal spoke of was the real deal then their odds of success here were just as good as they were on Hollow Bastion.“All right, and by the way …I think I know how to pay you off for your help.” “Do you now?” “Yes, and it’s a gift that’ll keep giving as long as you do.”

Feeling a chilly draft on his neck, a shiver went down Ace's spine. He turned around to see Gavin entering the room. Either Osa had somehow turned one of the rooms into a freezer, or Gavin had turned it into an ice box. It was a good thing Gavin had decided now to talk to him, because he was a minute away from interrogating the boy himself. "Brutally honest, huh? Alright then..." After hearing Gavin out, Ace leaned forward and poured a cup of tea. There was a lot of weight on Gavin's shoulders, responsibility that shouldn't be his. If his life was on the line then there wouldn't be any problems with his motivation, but there was one thing that bothered him. "You're on a mission of retribution, and not by your choice? What do you plan to do once you kill this person?" Ace said, handing him the tea. "Will you stay with us, or will you return to... whatever life it is that you've been living?" At this time a foreign young man entered the room from the bar above. Osa stood from her seat and walked to him. "You don't have to bow, none of us here are kings or queens." She said with a welcoming smile. She reached out her hand for him to shake. "I am Osa, Okal told me you would be arriving, come in." She motioned for him to join the table, though Shizuka had already stood up to greet him. "Yu, I'm Shizuka." She said, grinning ear to ear. She then took the liberty of telling him the names of everyone else at the table. "There's Lin too, but she's asleep right now. Come on, sit down and have some tea." She patted him on the back towards the table, and poured him a cup of the warm beverage. Finding herself sitting in the palace library once more, Ryoko was far less enthused than she had planned to be at the current circumstances. She was irritated that Salforge had let the Princess of Heart go, she was irritated that finding them would prove twice as difficult now, and above all else she was irritated that the connection on her transceiver was cutting out. She slapped the device like an unruly child, and quite like an unruly child it shaped up. On the device's screen a blond woman came into focus. "Catherine, did you give the Emperor my report?" She asked. "Yes." The maid's voice came through the speakers with a cavalry of static behind it. "He said that in light of what has happened, you are to kill the Princess of Heart on sight, and that the factory of that world must not be compromised." "That's easy to say..." Ryoko mumbled. "Master?" "Nothing, that will be all Catherine... Comb your hair, it's a mess." "Such confidence..." Asahina whispered to herself as Alem left the room. She couldn't understand how he was so sure of himself, not after seeing what she had done. She looked to the window by the bed, she could easily run away now and get out of this man's life before she complicated it any further. But she didn't. She wanted to believe in Alem, because without him she would be alone again. Alem came back into the room with water and fruit, he handed her the water and placed the pears down on her lap. She quickly drank the water, and began to eat the pears. As she was chewing, he spoke to her, telling her he was calling a friend for help, and asked her to tell him who she was. She felt anxious about showing herself to someone else, to her Alem was an exception to how the average person would react to seeing something like her. He moved down to her face, forcing her to look at him. Her yellow eyes looked away from his, a poor reflex of hers. She slowly looked back at him as he spoke again. "I'm... Sorry." She had not told him the full truth because it wasn't something she fully understood. "They said I am... A Princess." Her face tightened at the regal word. "Someone Pure. No Darkness inside." Her eyes turned downcast. "Must be a mistake. Me. A Princess?"

Asahina’s apology meant that she did withhold some information from him, but Alem’s disappointment was not expressed because he knew that this was a possibility from the start. He had taken her in and had a right to ask questions in exchange for his aid, but he believed that in her fear and mistrust of the outside world that it would be best to wait. So, Asahina was not entirely honest, but this was the time to be honest with him. She explained, much to Alem’s surprise, that she was considered a princess to those within the Empire. From what he could tell her darkened face twisted a bit from the term, proving to be a minor hint of her displeasure with it. Alem’s expression had changed from his normal plain stare to one of genuine surprise. His eyes widened by just a couple inches, averting them from her face and down towards the ground. He held no love for the Sultan or his family, but if they were after Asahina for any reason, it must be that. “The day the Empire came was the last day anyone had seen or heard from the Sultan.” Alem said with a hushed voice, standing back up and turning around to face the opposite wall. He walked a couple paces, his eyes never leaving the ground. Even with his back turned it would be clear that what little Asahina had told him meant much.“The Sultan had a daughter: Princess Jasmine. He disappeared along with her that day. She is a Princess by bloodline, and was known to be kind …but you,” Alem looked over his shoulder at Asahina, “You can remember the exact detail they told you before you were taken. You can remember something like that, yet not of your own status as royalty? It does not add up. If you’re not a Princess like Jasmine is, are you something more than your blood?” The answer was on the tip of his tongue, but there were still some blanks that needed to be filled in. Asahina, whether a true royal or not, was important. What did she mean by ‘no darkness’? Did it have something to do with what she appeared as now, and why she looked this way? “Asahina, you are not from here, which means you have answers I couldn’t find.” Alem’s patience was incredible, but after yesterday’s events and the lives that were at risk Asahina would notice that his tolerance was not at its peak. She knew things that could help him, could help Agrabah and its people, and she was too busy in self-pity to give them. “I need you to stop holding back and tell me all you can, now. What do you mean by no darkness in your heart? Does it have something to do with those shadows that drew to us yesterday?” Alem turned his body around completely to face her once more, eyes narrowed not in aggression but thought. “You’ve had time to feel sorry about your predicament, and I regret to inform you that you can no longer look down towards the ground to wallow in insecurity and fear. Lives are at stake, and the longer you take to realize this, the more people are at risk because of it. Speak, Asahina. Do so quickly.”

"Do we really need to make mention of who abandoned their post?" A question asked and expressed in sardonic nature, "--Thats what I thought. Before you go off...again. This is what I have." By now if the average person couldn't figure out this merc's playbook, then that was that. Information at times was more valuable than obtaining objects, goods, and even detaining people. If they had some visibility or even a wire tap, that was prudent enough to put them in a better situation than the current. "As it stands we've got the rebels that are somewhere in Agrabah now, beyond that, the stranger that is currently the caretaker of empire property as you'd call it. Then there is that rogue kid Gavin that was most likely adopted by the rebels. If this person is who I have a strange suspicion about, he could prove trouble to the empire...he seems hellbent on killing a general from the first Division. This is also twice now the enemy has removed themselves from my detainment, well lets review, 103rd. Display." His blocks band together and splintered into a tightly night and flat paneled white screen. He structured them into life-size models of the escaped woman, and the male resident to this world. Low and behold, down to a T Salforge proceeded to marvel and Ryoko would come to appreciate something useful he'd done. The replicas began to exchange words amongst each other, the screen from the perspective of the unusual female. "When you treat everyone that is not an ally as an enemy, you begin to understand that choice is justified. Rather than walk into deceit, I chose to implement my own form of treachery. Also there is this..." There was a brief flash of what looked like the inside of a shower, before the video returned to the normal feed. It should be clear, if she remembered properly, making contact once is all the mercenary needed. The 103rd seemed terrifying, transforming immovable block into audio-visual surveillance set up. Seamlessly, he possessed fairly neutral defensive capabilities often registering with others as non-hostile, he touched Ryoko during the encounter with the rogue Gavin, he coded an entire factory simply by standing on the surface for a long enough time, an open area with just a floor, even faster. He felt like a watchdog, and in both brilliance and versatility the mercenary was merciless even among allies. "I'd like to point out that clip is no different than what film makers do in the movies when you see the cigarette burns. Quickly splicing together clips as the reel is about to complete itself. Moving on." It was uncommon for Salforge to work this hard, frankly, he was getting to within a modicum of triviality with how something was always putting distance between himself and the targets. The enemy sought to put an end to tyranny, but that seemed rather vague as they had legions of influence across other worlds. This was only the second of two full divisions, as far as their military corps were concerned. Salforge raised a hand to his chin as he listened intently, memory triggered a flag somewhere in the back of his mind. This was apart of his research that he'd done prior to becoming a mercenary...prior to being what he was now. It had been so long, this field of study was about something ancient, speculation that surrounded the old radiant garden. He raised his head with a sudden seriousness to the general. "Ryoko. You weren't specific before, just what are we dealing with here? Who is the girl really, last chance to give me as much information as you can before I follow through with my orders of execution. Have some respect for my profession, I am only as useful as the information I can gather to support my obligations." Salforge's hand fidgeted slightly, remembering he grasped at something soft about two days before. At this rate, they wouldn't make any progress if they weren't devising a playbook with bare minimum, Clacverk who could provide some support with his creatures of the dark. ------- Gavin// ------- Gavin's face peered upon Ace with a Grimace as he weighed his options, there was really only one for him. Using his noesis he weighed his chances and outcomes based on what he knew about his parents. Should he choose to abandon his instruction, he would be excecuted, banished and shamed, or a limb of their choosing would be severed. All were weighty...his family was serious, prestigious enough that their household name was respected, and therefore known only to their homeward. "I don't have much of a choice Ace...right now it's I do it or I'm dead in almost every scenario. I need to take something back from my sibling as proof of her fall. In any case, I am here to support your cause temporarily, there is still a lot I am learning about my own magic so please...be patient with me. And this..." Gavin rustled his arm inside of the sling. "I'll need another day tops before I'm in any condition to help you guys with anything...I'm really sorry about this."

If the hours from the day before taught Cerden anything it was the close calls really do come out of nowhere. There he was with Flora, Shin, and Dominic, about to feel the wrath of Tyra and her pent up rage and then he heard something. Or maybe he saw it -- it’s unclear what it was. All Cerden knew that in the same amount of time that it took for an eye to blink, Cerden along with the other three found themselves away from Basilisk Inn and even more importantly, away from Tyra. At least, for the time being. When Cerden awoke from his sleep in what seemed to be another inn, he rose up to a sitting-up position. When he rushed up to this position, his hair flung over his face and his neck uncovered. He shook his head once and his hair flowed down to its natural form. He looked around, first at the bed he was in. It was semi-hard with parts of it having a comfortable feel to it. Cerden’s eyes then came to the gaze of the walls. They had detailed patterns of odd markings. The walls themselves had a tan-colored base coat and the markings were blue and gold in color. Cerden removed the covers from his body and partially got off the bed. He got off the bed and stretched his arms. A sound of relief was followed by the sound of cracking bones. Cerden looked around for his clothes. He put on his black pants and strapped on his jacket and locked in all the belts. When he finished that, he walked out of his room by opening the door. Cerden walked down the hall that had lights that illuminated the halls. A minute of walking down the hall and Cerden was at the front lobby and was rushed with the heat that made Agrabah so infamous. He looked around and took in a deep breath. “Nice of you to finally join the living.” Flora said from three feet across Cerden. Cerden looked over and saw Flora sitting at a table that had a nice view of the outside surroundings. He walked over and took a seat. “Things got a little crazy last night, huh?” Cerden said casually as he gazed outside. Flora looked at him with the most serious and straightest looks she had ever gave him. “Seriously? That’s what you call Tyra almost killing you and the rest of us in the process?”Flora said with an elevated tone. Cerden looked at her smiling. “Chill out. We’re alive aren’t we?” “No thanks to you.” “What is that supposed to mean?” “Come on, Cerden. You were frozen as a fucking ice cube in a freezer. If it hadn’t been for that weird…well I don’t know what to call it. All I know is that we’re alive and not in the ground like we would have been if we hadn’t been rushed out of there when we did.” Cerden just looked outside. He knew that Flora was right, but he didn’t really want to say anything on the matter. It was bad enough that Tyra didn’t listen to reason, but the fact that she almost killed all of them without even giving Cerden a chance to explain was just something that had Cerden scared to death. “It doesn’t matter either way. “Cerden said. He turned his head to Flora as well as shifting his body to face hers. “Where’s Dominic and Shin? I would have thought that they would be down here too.” “They went off to do something.” “Such as..?” “Such as I don’t know. Dominic told me that he and Shinto were going to do something and that they would be back in a couple of hours.” Flora said as her chin rested on her hand and she looked out the window. Currently on the outside of Agrabah, two men run towards what can only be described as a giant-ass warship. These two men have a suicide mission written all over them as they’re clearly not with the Empire and yet they venture to an Empire-owned vessel. “Are you sure about this?” “Of course I am. Why? Do you not think this isn’t a good idea, Shin?” “Well gee, let me think, Domi. We left Flora and Cerden behind and we’re about to break into Nomis’ high-security warship which is bound to be heavily armed with motion sensors and guns. “ “I know, it’s great ain’t it?” “Just peachy.” Clearly Shinto doesn’t agree with the plan of breaking into a high-security warship. And he is right to disagree with it. Nobody in their right mind would even attempt such a plan. It just screams stupidity, but then again, it is Dominic’s plan and he has been known to devise up some half-assed plans in the past. That’s why Shinto often questions why he’s still with Dominic, but who else would get the dumb red-head out of trouble and lord-knows that this plan will get him into trouble for sure. While they were going back and forth about the plan being stupid(Shinto), they duo found themselves in view of the large warship. Even seeing how huge it was, Dominic was still hell-bent on going through with it. “Okay, we’re here, but how do you suggest we get up there.” Shinto said as he looked up at the ship and just stared in awe and slight fear of its size. “Leave that to me.” “What are you--” Before Shinto could even get out a sentence, Dominic grabbed his arm and in a jolt of speed, both Shinto and Dominic were on the top part of the ship and there was a crimson light streak behind them. "Why must you always do that?" Shinto said clearly annoyed. Dominic smiled as he looked around for a loophole in the design of the ship. His eyes came to what seemed like a latch of sorts that, from what he could see, had no security on it whatsoever. Obviously a flaw in the core design. “That is where we can enter this colossus of a ship.” Dominic said pointing to the latch that was waving in the air due to the winds. Shinto sighed and went along with Dominic. The two of them entered the ship and when they did, they could only guess that the latch was actually part of the venting system as felt from the rather high-pressures they were feeling. Dominic instantly felt this and grabbed Shinto’s arm and used his enhanced speed to maneuver through the venting system and at least get to a safe point within the ship(I.E out of the vents). However, Dominic was quite sure that him doing that would set off some alarms. “So, we should get going. I’m sure we’re going to be seeing some guards pretty soon.” Dominic said as he started to run off. Shinto sighed. “Why is it always us?” He said as he reluctantly followed Dominic. It’s a new day for Caleb. Even though the higher-ups would have preferred he stay in the castle, Caleb really doesn’t give two shits what they prefer. The current state of mind he has is set directly on going to his uncle for an update on things. He does know that his uncle is on. To do so, however, Caleb had do travel quite the ways away. Due to the mass that his uncle’s Warship has, Caleb had to leave the castle a little earlier than he would have preferred. Once the young adult made his way out of the city, he made some good distance across the desert. Each yard he gained, the large warship off in the distance was getting closer and closer to his view. Eventually Caleb would make his way to the ship and it was evident as the ship was massive as compared to his tiny frame. He was like the scale of an ant to a human(the human being the ship in this case). Caleb approached the ship and instantly it recognized his heat signature and within an instant a beam of a white light hit the ground. In an instant, he was warped into the ship. Caleb had that done to him so many times that he wasn’t even bothered by the whiplash effect it would normally have on someone. Once on the ship, Caleb made his way through it, turning corners, going up stairs, elevators, and eventually coming to his uncle’s lab to which he could see Nomis as well as dozens of working scientists.

Asahina's body shifted back on the bed, her back hit the wall and she pulled her legs close to her chest. She did not think that Alem would chastise her like this, she had told him as much as had come to her mind. She didn't have all the answers he was looking for. She was a tool the empire had used, does a mechanic explain to his wrench why it is fastening a bolt? The news that the princess of this world had also been taken piqued her interest. It was more than reasonable to assume that Jasmine was in the same situation that she was. That much was obvious, but the ends to their means alluded her. All she knew was that she apparently had a heart devoid of darkness, if that was the case, then why was she covered in it right now? This darkness couldn't be from her heart, if that were true, then she needed to know where it had come from. She opened her hands, and looked at her grotesque claws. This form was not a reflection of her heart, it had been imposed upon her by the machine she had been placed in. The factories were gathering darkness, vast amounts of darkness, with her at the center. "This Form..." She spoke, her voice smoother than it was before, it felt as if a thick fog in her throat had cleared. She wasn't sure if she should feel blessed or worried that this body was beginning to feel comfortable. "This is a garment that does not belong to me, that shouldn't be on me... Yet it has been stitched to my flesh." She looked towards Alem behind a veil of hair. "Who I am is irrelevant." She said with sorrowful disdain. "It is what I am that is important." She hugged her legs closer to herself. "Those shadows, they are creatures called Heartless. They prey upon human hearts and are monsters of base instinct, they may follow the lead of a being with strong control over darkness, but they are monsters still. For a time I believed I was transforming into a Heartless, however, I now see it in another light." Asahina grumbled, and awkwardly scratched the top of her head with one of her knife like nails. "I was used to gather darkness for a certain purpose, what this purpose is, I cannot tell you because I... do not know." She whispered in a barely audible tone. "Darkness is a pervasive thing, it corrupts absolutely and is impassioned towards light. Light is a threat to dark, and so a pure heart is insatiable. My teacher once told me something that I only understand now, he said that the brighter the light, the darker the shadow..." Asahina went quiet, resting her head between her knees. Feeling sorry for herself? That must be what it looks like to him, but it was wrong. "I wish I could feel sorry for myself... But I don't. I don't want to suffer, after all I don't deserve it. But on the same note, I am not entitled to much else. I never asked for this. I've never been important, I've always been alone and that was my own fault. It was hard to do, but I accepted my fate as a reluctant recluse. Now I learn that I'm some... Princess, and what does it cause me but pain? I know I have to do something about it, I can't let anyone be hurt because of someone like me..." Ryoko tilted her head at the display Salforge put on via his blocks. He had managed to succeed in what she supposed she should call bugging the man she had met before and the girl she was looking for. She took a close look at the girl named Asahina. "She barely looks human anymore, isn't that quaint..." The screen flickered for a moment to the inside of a washroom, Ryoko glared at Salforge, who tried to offer what she wasn't even sure was an excuse. "Sal, if you're feeling frustrated, there are better ways to calm yourself." She said with a yawn. The mercenary then requested more information from her, in a fairly stalwart manner as well. It nearly caught her off guard as it seemed a bit strange for him. Ryoko looked to him with snide, condescending eyes. "You want me to respect the mercenary business? That's a laugh. The only thing I respect are results, Salforge, which luckily for you, you have managed to do." She leaned back in her chair, and crossed her right leg over her left. "You want to know what that girl is? She is a Princess of Heart, or to put it more simply, she is a human being that possesses a heart with no darkness in it. We need these girls because they are vital to conjuring up vast amounts of darkness from the heart of a world. She may not fully realize it, but that girl has inside her enough darkness to eclipse the heart of a world completely. Do you see why it is important that we find her now?"

---------------------------------------------- ~~~~~~Agrabah / Desert (Empire/Old Trident - Warship)~~~~~~ "Replication has begun on samples 2 and 5 after tests showed..." “Electrical discharge detected at sections 4D - 8J on external hull compartments…” "Production and distribution of newly designed Birugs have begun, completion estimated..." “Electrical discharge detected internally through sections JF4 - SW6, sensors destabilised, Birugs are to monitor sections for…” "Data from Foreign Parasite has steadily increased since its time of merger with target. Cross-referencing results have..." Voices came from all around, filling and echoing throughout the room all while the now coat-less Nomis was busy hunched over a long metal table near the far wall. The room itself had a few more of these, all identical except for the varying levels of age each one had along its once pristine surface. The body that lay on the table before Nomis had gone cold long before the man arrived onto the ship, his group having spread out, some returning with him while most ventured off to conduct other experiments and tests on behalf of their master. The results and constant updates of data were being streamed into the room across the vast wall of monitors, in most cases alongside the tabs which projected the voices all speaking at once. The brief momentary shiver and clutch of his arm was immediately replaced by a sudden violent filled burst of anger, Nomis quickly and forcibly grabbing the large syringe-styled canister before injecting the sloshing and thick liquid it held through the veins of the lifeless body before him. Everyone within the room continued to bury themselves into their given tasks, even when the heavy thud of the twin doors slid open for Caleb, no one, not even Nomis, stopped for a moment to see who it could have been. It was one of the few non-working hooded figures that approached the young nephew of Nomis, the hunched body of it twisting lower even more as some kind of respected bow. “Sir Clacverk, welcome back...Master Clacverk is in the midst of testing some results from a previous experiment…” Said the robed figure, its long cloaked arm twisting with its body to motion towards Caleb’s uncle before it went back along its slow pace through the room. Standing before the table and the body now, Nomis was busy silently counting the seconds with one of his pocket-watches, the man’s eyes turning from the clock’s dial to the still lifeless body every set number of seconds. Though the body was one of the three that Caleb had dealt with the previous day, the large wound in their chest that should have still been present and clear, was instead hidden from sight by a large smear of the same dark liquid that Nomis had injected into the cold body, now in the process of hardening into a material not unlike his particular solid metal. “That creature has to be brought back to us if we’re to return to Hollow Bastion and continue our work, we’ve spent far too much time on this world as it is. And these subject samples are far and between too normal and common.” Said Nomis as he placed his watch back into his pocket once the dark veins began to show themselves on the still cold body, the man motioning for the body and table to be taken away, apparently not that happy with the result. --------------------------- The hallways of the ship were almost identical, and though age had faded some of the shine the metal had, it still held a rather silent, lonesome, and even one might say clinical atmosphere down every corridor. The silence they once had though soon began to fade away, as the low hum and click of a number of things began to come from around one of the hallway’s corridors. The large metal eyes whirled their enlarged lenses around their casings as they floated through the hallway, each small group composing of three side by side before moving ahead and allowing the next three to come up behind and repeat the process. All in all there seemed to be five of these tiny groups of three, every one of them individually scanning and checking their surroundings for anything different. Though it was impossible for the naked eye to see anything from the ordinary looking vent, there was still something left behind for the lead Birug machine to immediately come across. It’s large eye focused on the simple metal border the vent opening had, and as it switched through a few of its different sights and sensors, it didn’t take long for the small wisps of red electricity to show up not just for it but for the rest of the machines floating behind it. The same faint electricity hung in small patches through the air, though the biggest gathering of it quickly shot off further down the hallway in front of the Birugs, a trail which the floating group now began to follow.

As Caleb entered the lab that his uncle and quite the amount of scientists were at, the teen saw that his uncle didn’t even notice that he entered the room. He was so immersed in his work as he always is. It was one of the hooded figures not immersed in whatever the scientists and Nomis were working on that greeted Caleb. This figure spoke in such an enriched tone. It almost sounded elegant and very high-class. This hooded figure informed young Caleb that his uncle was in the process of testing some results from a previous experiment of his. ”Thank you.” Caleb simply said as he walked past the hooded figure. Caleb proceeded to walk over to his uncle to which he would overhear his uncle speak about the experiment he was just going over. He could hear his uncle’s disappointment with the results, as that was the same tone that Caleb got from Nomis during those rigorous hours that the latter spent training the former. So, when Caleb heard his uncle speak in that tone he knew he was not happy. "I take it those results were unsatisfactory, Uncle Nomis?" Caleb remarked as he would see the scientists take away the table that was once in front of his uncle. As soon as Dominic and Shinto were out of that vent, the former grabbed the latter’s arm and they both shot off into no specific direction. Dominic just knew that as soon as they busted out of that vent in such a fashion that eventually some kind of alarm or patrol drones would come after them. Dominic knew this because that’s what he would do or command if he were Nomis or his little machines. The direction the two went was actually, probably on accident on Dominic’s part, was towards Nomis’ lab. Coming to a stop for a brief moment(mainly due to Dominic’s lack of stamina), Shin opened his mouth. ”Please tell me you know where we are?”He said looking at Dominic who was peeking behind a wall to make sure they weren’t being followed. ”Hello! Can you hear me?” ”Shh!” Dominic said as he placed his right hand over Shin’s mouth. “You’ll give us away.” Shinto groaned in an annoyed tone. ”Answer my question! ” What question?” ”Do you know where we‘re going?” ”Oh yes, I know exactly where we’re going.” ”And where would that be?” “Nomis’ lab.” And it was with that Shinto had a blank face on while Dominic had the most retarded smile on his. Shinto couldn’t even begin to understand what excuse or logic that Dominic could have for wanting to go right into the lion’s den. As if it weren’t bad enough that the two of them broke into Nomis’ own headquarters, but Dominic actually wanted to go to Nomis’ lab!? That was the last straw for Shinto. ”You are unbelievable! Shinto yelled. Dominic looked at him blinking his eyes. “What?” He said with the most innocent of tones. “You want a list! Fine, let me start.” He said, “first, you bring me along on your secret mission, then we break into Nomis’ own HQ. If that wasn’t bad enough, now you want to go to his lab!? Why not set off the alarm and just wait for his machines to catch us. At least then it would make more sense than you’re making right now.” Shinto just exploded. Dominic still was blinking his eyes. “Oh, that. It’s easy really.” He smiled, “we’re going to take Caleb from here and bring him back with us to Flora and Cerden.” “Wha-what!?” Shinto couldn’t believe what he was hearing. No, he could, but still. “Why would we do that--correction! Why would you do that?” Dominic now looked serious, but he also had look of sadness on his face all of a sudden. “It’s for Flora. After what she told me about what happened to her and Cerden back at Hollow Bastion -- Caleb didn’t even recognize her and he almost killed his own father.” “But why take him? Why go to all of this trouble?” “I need to do something. Flora won’t say it, but it kills her that her own son doesn’t know who she is and if it meant getting that boy away from Nomis, then I’ll do anything.” Shinto really had no idea that was why Dominic went to all of this trouble to get on the ship knowing full well of the risks that would come with it. “Fine, let’s go.” “You mean it?” Dominic looked surprised. Shinto smiled, “yeah I mean it. If it means we can piss off that bastard Nomis, then I’m game.” Shinto said as he gripped his Sniper Rifle. “Now, let’s do it. I’m sure that bastard’s machines aren’t far off.” In that moment, the duo went off down a hallway to Nomis’ lab.

Yu took Osa's hand, giving her a firm handshake. These people seemed like genuinely nice folk, but they also seemed a little too trusting of a complete stranger. Of course, it probably helped that Okal gave them a warning. Yu took a seat, and Shizuka, as she introduced herself, patted him on the back, giving him the widest grin he'd ever seen. At first, it reminded him of the smile of a child. She gave him the names of everyone else in the room, and spoke of Lin, a girl who was still sleeping. A cup of tea was poured for him, and he nodded a gesture of thanks towards Shizuka. For now, he left it alone. His biggest thought was who these people actually were. It was strange that they were hiding out in a secret room, in a bar, no less. Perhaps these people were smugglers. Or, they were the rebels he heard so much about. Regardless, he was already down here, and the point of no return had long since passed. "So, if you don't mind my asking, what's this job I signed up for?" His question was directed at Osa. Yu picked up his cup of tea, taking a sip before placing it back down. It had a strong taste, but he liked it enough that it didn't require any sort of sweetener for him. The smell was pleasant too, reminding him of the tea his mother used to make back home. He crossed one of his legs, taking another sip of the tea. If these people were rebels, would assisting them be a good idea? Sure, he had his own dislike for the Empire, but helping out the rebels was definitely a death sentence. He always worried for the safety of his mother and the children, due to the fact that his mother occasionally gave aid to rebels. Whenever they needed a place to stay, she would give them shelter, provided the helped around the orphanage while they were there. Yu was never certain that his mother did that due to her immense kindness, or because she herself had disliked the Empire as well. Despite being a popular opinion where he came from, it wasn't something you openly expressed, and something the two ever talked about. While waiting for an answer, Yu removed his cloak, and placed it on his lap. Wearing it indoors made him overheat, and especially so since he was drinking hot tea. The pit of his stomach was beginning to warm up, and shortly after, the rest of his body. It didn't help either that he just had another hot beverage a few minutes ago. He pushed the tea away from him, opting to wait a while before finishing the rest of it. He continued his train of thought, considering the many possibilities in his head. Perhaps he became nervous at the thought of everyone here being a rebel. Maybe he was just thinking about things too much, (which he was), and just needed to calm down a bit. If he had to go up against the Empire for this job, he'd simply complete it, collect his payment, and disappear from this world in a heartbeat. It's not like they are going to force him to join them in their cause. ...Right?

"One of the benefits to having a body that simply animates and without emotion as a detriment, is the lack of any sexual or perverse desire as a given. At least it's not something anyone has yet managed to invoke or accommodate." He gave a bit of stale expression as always, at the drop of a hat Ryoko seemed to finally come around and comply with the information that he requested. It was true he adhered by a set of rules all his own, a murder had to have some manner of code. He gave a nod in acceptance of Ryoko's brusque tone, he still needed to share one final piece of information. Watching the screen, the female said enough before he finally obscured the screen from view, rather changed the channel. The light on his blocks reflected another scene, it was multiple pinned areas of hollow bastion. Salforge was busy, and he took his job to the abnormal range that was convincing enough to be dubbed professional. "This is from two days ago when we were tasked to defend the factory. When i arrived I gradually coated the entire place, because it was overtly large, it took more time than an open space. When I did, I found out how the rebels 'got in' and in addition to that, I have all their faces." Salforge raised his hand and formed a quick image of all of their faces scattered across smaller screens. He highlighted Gavin's image, and enlarged it rotating it in front of the others. At that time a body seemed approach the library and looked in, a small child, baring the empire's emblem on his shoulder. He had teal eyes and hair, he seemed particularly jubilant to be subservient of the empire. Abducted by the mercenary from a world of keybladers, and possessing some value as the mercenary's equivalent to the General's maid Catherine. "Svether, you came all this way unannounced? Did you use one of my doubles I left behind at headquarters." The child twitched and fidgeted as he was in the presence of the general, to whom was normally livid, unpleasant, terrifying. He moved closer and clung to the mercenary's leg, he was only about eleven, far more human than the mercenary was. "You express the oddest affection child." Salforge said holding out his hand. Svether put a monetary note into the mercenary's hand. "F-f-from General Envi, Master!" The mercenary sighed, "You would interupt our meeting to give me...--!!" His eyes fell onto the small envelope, it contained a decent sized portion of his commission when working in the first division of the empire under the general. Further inspection revealed a note addressed to the mercenary, it seemed almost as if it were a brief hint. "I see, thank you Svether." He pat the young boy's head, "Reciprocate a message to the general for me, iterate to her that her suspicions have been realized and we've made contact with him. Here, take this to her." As the small boy backed up cupping a cube, he slowly but surely began to deconstruct into small shells, the time-consuming method of transport he likely used to get there borrowing one of the mercenary's doubles. In a moment or so he was gone and the mercenary's full-attenion unperturbed had returned. He sat down, placing all the contents back into the envelop and placing it on the table in the library. Too much was going on, all his focus needed to be output into success, they needed to make a move now while the princess was still in Agrabah. "Well Ryoko, I think it's time we weaken them even further. If you want to find the rebels, then exploit Gavin, he harbors an immense darkness around him, normal suppression isn't enough to fool the heartless. We can use them to find the rebels, Clacverk's abominations would be formidable to the point it would force them out in the open. We can't afford to wait anymore, I understand your impatience, but what I need from you is unity. It sounds like a pitiful human expression of kinship, although as an observation whenever we pressed a target or targets as a team, we've succeeded. Gavin was our first capture, i'm sure thats not the end of it either." He extended his hand, slightly out of character but he sought her cooperation for the sake of both of their heads. She was selfish to a degree, but allowing bygones to be bygones for the sake of safeguarding one's own life was necessary at this point. Facing the consequences of an enraged imperial was nothing that sounded pleasant.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~Agrabah / Desert (Empire/Old Trident - Warship)~~~~~~ "I take it those results were unsatisfactory, Uncle Nomis?" The sound of Caleb’s voice, right there coming from his side, was the only thing to cause Nomis to stop for just a moment and to turn towards his nephew. “Very unsatisfactory. Seems the sample was more a second or third generation, it’s ability was too diluted to react successfully with the substance. I need a subject with a much purer strain to work with.” Said Nomis, the scientist tiredly running through his hair the sharp metal fingers of his hand, before walking past Caleb in order to reach the collection of monitors and machines that still spewed in countless amounts of information. “Is the experiment ready to begin?” Asked Nomis, the man not looking at anyone in particular within the room, his sole attention on examining the information displayed before him, but still one of the hooded scientists seemed to instinctively know it was them, their Lord was speaking to. “Yes, Lord Nomis. Though we are without any great supply of the dark sample used in the first test, the few vials you had remaining were enough once rationed out amongst the larvae.” “Good, we’ll begin once preparations are complete. I want this to be the final attempt before we leave this world.” With that, the hooded figure slumped off before shortly leaving the room entirely, taking two others along as it passed by them, while Nomis was busy adjusting some of the controls before him. “You came straight from the Palace, correct Caleb? What were our fellow members of the Empire doing before you left?” ------------------------------------------ The trail the floating Birugs followed seemed to become erratic the further along they travelled down the hallway, until before long what had been a faint but constant path of wispy bits of red electricity had faded to the point that even the machine’s scanners couldn’t find it. Swiftly changing their sights back to their normal gaze, the flying robots simply continued on the straight path before them, the clear reasoning being the cause of the anomaly should be ahead. Picking up speed, the sound of the gears, which made up their bodies, getting louder as they spun was all anyone would hear throughout the hallway, and though the lead machine only caught sight of the faint two figures as they began to turn the corner, it was all that was needed for it to scan and know the figures were not part of the ship in any way. The arc of energy that suddenly struck the wall ahead of Shinto and Dominic, the attack just about missing Dominic’s arm to be more precise, was the one and only warning shot by the Birugs, the others which floated behind the lead machine soon spreading out by its sides, and all with their own energy based weapon already out and preparing to continue the attack started by the first.

Dominic and Shinto were making more or less decent progress through Nomis’ Warship. They had passed the mess hall three turns ago and were just about to head past the sleeping quarters. It was just then that one of them heard a noise. It was faint and sounded like it was coming from far away, but Dominic had unbelievably sharp hearing. The sound soon was getting closer and closer just until some type of shot was fired, barely missing Dominic’s right arm. ” What the hell?!” Dominic said as he turned around and saw three weird eye-shaped machines all pointing their weapons at him and Shinto. “Looks like we got company.” Dominic smirked. Shinto looked back and saw the three eye machined with their weapons pointed at Dominic and Shinto. Just like his good buddy, Shinto also smirked. “I guess we deserved a good break, don’ t ya agree, Domi?” “Hell yeah.” As if the two of them knew from just that moment alone, they scattered. Dominic took to the right in a streak of crimson red, and Shinto took to the left. The three eye-like machines fired an arc of black energy at both of them. The one strike that went to Dominic missed by a long shot as the crimson-haired male darted up the wall, and the arc of black energy striking where Dominic was, piercing through the wall. Dominic had somehow made it to the ceiling and for a brief moment out of the view of the eye-like machines. He concentrated crimson lightning into both of his hands while keeping enough on his feet to keep him up on the ceiling. He pointed his arms down and shot two bolts of crimson lightning at two of the machines. The bolts completely decimated them and all that was left were scraps of black metal. Just as the last remaining eye-like machine took notice to the other two becoming scrap metal, that gave Shinto the perfect time to react. That brief moment that it became distracted allowed Shinto to gather enough psionic force into his free hand that he was able to use it to force the last remaining machine back about ten feet. And this was all while he was running. As the machine was airborn, Shinto ran along the wall to his left, and jumped off with his left foot. As he was also airborn, he took to his sniper rifle, Silent Destroyer. By aiming it precisely, he shot three time and each bullet went right into the machine’s main eye, and completely destroyed it. As Shin landed, Dominic did as well and Shin had done so on one knee, back against Dominic(who was standing straight up). “Well that was relaxing.” Dominic said really happy on what had just happened. Shin smiled. “Let’s get going.” When Nomis turned to Caleb and responded, the young man heard his uncle say that the experiment definitely didn’t go as he had planned. He mentioned that the subject of said experiment was a second or third generation and such as it is, it proved to be too diluted to produce any results with the substance that Nomis was working with. He would also mention that he would need something more purer to work efficiently. Caleb just looked at his uncle as he would explain it all while messing around with some of the monitors that were nearby. That’s when Nomis asked Caleb if the teen had seen what the other members of the Empire were up to. Caleb sighed and stretched his arms, the joints making a slight cracking noise as they rose to the air. ”I saw Ryoko in the library with her servant…maid..person.“ Caleb said as he looked at his uncle. ”Why? Is there a reason why you wanted to know, Uncle Nomis?” As Caleb was waiting for his uncle to respond to his question, it would be a brief moment, but Caleb sensed something was off. Before he could even react to what was about to happen, he was too late. What he saw was a combination of psionic power and a crimson-colored lightning. The lightning side of it cut off all of the lights, thus making sight unavailable for the moment. While the darkness took the lab over, the psionic power side pushed every scientist, including Nomis, against the wall with bone-crippling force and Caleb could have sworn he heard some cracks on their necks. He tried to look at anything, but the darkness prevented him from doing so. All he could hear was the screams of the scientists that were struggling to get free from the force that bound them to the wall on the opposite side of the room. “UNCLE!” Caleb called out, but he didn’t get a response. Things would go from bad to worse in a flash…literally. Caleb would spot a streak of crimson lightning surround him. He couldn’t tell exactly what was happening or who was doing this, but before long, he found himself getting grabbed by whoever was behind all of this. He tried to struggle, but the motion from being surrounded by a bright lightning to the action of being grabbed through him for a loop. It was with all of that, in the total span of one minute, Caleb was gone, the crippling force of the scientists and Nomis gone, and the lights working in the lab once more. It was like they were never there.

------------------------------------------ ~~~~~~Agrabah / Desert (Empire/Old Trident - Warship)~~~~~~ Though the blackout caused by Dominic had helped him and his partner in their daring snatch-and-grab of Caleb, the sudden blindness that fell throughout the room brought with it an element of unpredictability the two couldn’t have foreseen. As Nomis twisted his body away from the console and monitors at the sound of the doors opening once more, the blackness that appeared as everything electronic within the room shorted-out kept the sight of the man hidden as he was flung into the wall of dead screens, the broken glass and metal raining down on him after falling to the wayside hard. While the more intense force of the psionic wave that came straight afterwards was enough to pin all others throughout the room to the wall, it was a situation Nomis was not apart of, the man finally awakening as power returned, only to find most of the room in a wild and chaotic state of destruction. The motionless cloaked bodies strewn on the floor appeared to cause only a mild annoyance to Nomis, the man wiping off some of the scraps of metal clinging to his sleeves as he began to call out Caleb’s name, only stopping the moment he noticed his nephew was not there. Stepping towards the table which he had last saw Caleb, Nomis almost as if without any strength, suddenly placed his hands down upon it for support. The sheer surprise of having someone appear and take his nephew from right out of his hands was something unthinkable to the man, and the anger at having just watched that was now quickly rising within him. Balling his hands into tight fists, the sight of the table crushing in upon itself was quite terrifying to watch, as was the sudden sweep of his arm towards the hooded bodies which produced a loud chorus of something similar to cracking bones. “Make repairs, I want this room ready for when I catch those two!!” Roared Nomis, his metal covered fingers shining with their familiar dark glow while the hooded figures rose from the floor, an even more deathly silence coming from them as they made their way around the room to do as Nomis commanded. Snatching the black cane that lifelessly rested to the side of the door, Nomis left the room in a swift pace, the man closing his eyes for a brief moment before purposefully making his way towards what he knew for certain was the trail of Caleb. ------------------------------------------------ As the power returned throughout the specific level of the ship, the first thing were the lights that now illuminated the same empty hallways which Shinto and Dominic were quite familiar with since entering the colossal ship. Though unlike all the other hallways the two, now three, had came across, this one suddenly took on a new phase as a large metal bulkhead appeared to form out of nothing from the surrounding walls and swiftly blocked the way ahead. “Electrical Discharge Source has been located in section KR6. Systems have been reconfigured to combat native level of discharge used to destabilise internal sensors.” The loud and computerised voice sprang into life throughout not just the hallway, but most likely the entire level and even ship itself. The familiar sound of clicking was something Shinto and Dominic knew plenty about, the floating batch of Birugs coming further on down the hallway being the only warning the two would get before they arrived.

Time was of the essence. Dominic and Shinto knew that they had a very short window between the time that Nomis realized that Caleb was gone until the exact moment his god-forsaken machines made their way to them. Currently, their only saving grace was that Caleb passed out from being the lack of breathing room as well as the whiplash that his back took when Dominic first grabbed him. The duo and unconscious Caleb found their way at the end of the hall and about to head to the stairs, but that’s when then they heard the announcement. Well, maybe it was more like a warning. Yep, it definitely was a warning. Just by the way the warning was, Dominic and Shinto now knew they were being pressed for time and if they didn’t find a way out soon, they’re toast. Coming to a stop, Shinto and Dominic took a breather. “So, any ideas, Domi?” Shinto asked. Dominic really didn’t know what to do or say at the moment. He heard a familiar clicking noise and that could only mean one thing. The Birugs were closer than Dominic had originally realized. “For right now, we run.” Dominic said as he gripped Caleb’s lower body tightly and prepared to run. Shinto sighed, but he nodded. He knew that in their current predicament, that’s all they could do. Just as they were going to start to make a break for it, Caleb grunted, which meant only one thing: he was waking up. “Damn it--what happened? Uncle--” Caleb stopped as he noticed he was looking at the ground from what seemed to be from above. “What the fuck is happening?” Caleb said as he tried to move or something, but he couldn’t. Something--or someone-- was holding him in place. “Oh for fuck's sake, I don’t have time for this.” DOminic said as he emitted some of his Crimson Lightning into Caleb’s body. Before the youth could even comprehend what was happening to him…again, he lost consciousness. “He’s not going to like that you did that to him.” Shinto said, offering up an obvious observation. “I’ll just add it to the list of things he’s gonna be pissed off about.”Dominic said as he gripped Caleb’s waist as hard as he could. “Now, let’s see if we can get off this ship.” Dominic said. Shinto nodded as the blonde would peak his head from behind the wall to see if the coast was clear. As he did, several shots were fired and he quickly hid his head from sight. He was breathing heavily and Dominic noticed. “Let me guess..” “Yup.” “Fuck.” “What do you want to do now?” Dominc thought about it. “I wonder…” “What?” “Follow my lead.” Shinto blinked a few times and gulped nervously. In a matter of a few seconds, Dominic had removed Caleb from the position that he was in over his right shoulder and would bring the youth to a standing position. In just the right motion, Dominic transferred his right arm around Caleb’s neck while sending mild jolts through his arm and shocking the boy. It would only be enough to wake the boy up once more. Dominic then proceeded to come out of hiding and he was in full-view of the Birugs. Dominic saw that they were preparing to fire. Dominic held his free arm up as if to motion them to stop. “Nomis!”Dominic yelled out, “I know, somewhere, you can see and hear me, so listen up.”Dominic continued, “call off your machines, call off the search or your nephew is as good as dead!” Dominic demanded as his free hand was in a claw form and sparks of crimson lightning surrounded his hand. Caleb was had his eyes dead-set on the madman that had him in his grip. He didn’t know if he was bluffing or not. The youth was getting to a point where he didn’t really care. He just wanted to be let go, but he really wasn’t in any position to tug his freedom away. Dominic not only had him in a tight grip, but Caleb actually was fearing that Dominic wasn’t kidding and that he would scramble his brain if Nomis didn’t stand down. Shinto was unsure what Domi’s plan was, but he had faith in his friend. Shinto did, however, make sure that the Birugs -- or Nomis for that matter -- were going to try anything. He had his sniper pointed at the machines just in case.

Salforge dismantled all his floating abjurations and proceeded towards a much more open circle of the library. He raised his hand, and snapped his fingers issuing a request. "Yo. Heartless, come." There was an awkward silence, as if him talking had fallen on deaf ears. There was not so much as even a traceable smell of the feral creatures of darkness, truly this was the proof. "Huh. Well, I'm no Maleficent, but I'm pretty sure darkness or light has to exist in some form to warrant attraction from the heartless. I suppose I'm fortunate to not be on the receiving end anyway." Tucking his hands into his pockets he turned from the pedestal and approached the open door. The was a guard waiting by the door, erect and stiff. Most importantly, he was also human, and much like inception the mercenary sprouted an idea. "Corporal, would you mind standing in front of this pedestal?" The soldier pointed at himself briefly, with a nod complied. As he stood there, there was a fast and hard punch hitting his back delivered by the mercenary. He was weak enough, and he died instantly, a heart dispersed from the shell of his body. One of salforge's blocks quickly sealing it inside. When he dropped, the soldier's body dissipated into speckled dust, there was hardly a chance of a nobody happening. "Ok, now then, let's try this again." He stood at the pedestal and held up the heart captured inside his block, "Heartless, come!" With a closed fist the mercenary demanded obedience. The room soon began to flood inward with heartless, amassing as shadows and Neoshadows alike. Their yellow eyes were menacing, potentially able to assess and sense the strength of the mercenary, lead by the heart he was now in possession of. "Just an experiment, the master said the heartless align themselves with whomever is the strongest. Seems like they'll bargain for a heart no matter if its black or white." he gave an inconsequential shrug and continued, "Find the coldest blot of darkness, and decimate everything around it. Now go." They shriveled inward entering the floorboards into what appeared to be black inkblots. The darkness would be upon them soon. ----- Gavin ----- Things were quiet for a while and by quiet Gavin meant there was no chaos hanging thick around their necks. As Gavin sat there, he seemed almost distant in space as his mind was entrenched in subconscious thought. He'd gotten goosebumps from the mere mention of the sibling he was ever feverishly hunting. Eyes wide, he seemed to be drawn back to the room finally noticing yet another stranger consorting with Osa and Ace. The red-haired cripple was quiet and seemed to remain that way for a while. He swayed back and forth for a little bit on the stool. It tipped just a little too far about to carry Gavin away, but he stomped at one of the middle bars and snapped it back in place. A bit of a close call moment for him, the goosebumps trailed up his spine. Giving a quick look around the room, he smelled something...odd, but what? Lifting his nose higher he inhaled the scent again, it was definitely familiar. 'What in the world is this scent...?' he thought There was an unusually high volume sound of creaking beneath the wooden floorboards. Then Gavin's eyes focused all around, suddenly there was just a spike in how uncomfortable he began to feel. It was like having a bad itch altogether and in spite of this, he tried not to avoid it. One of the pots in the corner sprouted a leg, then two, then four, an eye glowed yellow through the top of the lid. Gavin panicked, about to draw breath without realizing he jerked his right arm really hard, and diverted his own scream trying to reciprocate the pain he caused himself. He fell back onto the stool and hit the floor, 'What am I doing??' Bubbles began to spawn left and right, black meshes of creatures that carried turbans, masks, scimitars and potently menacing yellow eyes. Gavin had been a first time witness to this since his encounter in that alley, but he was hobbled, insufficient. Laying there on the ground as their numbers began to expand and he could do nothing as a result of his condition.

Alem said nothing to Asahina, instead making for the door. She could at least feel comforted by the fact he hadn’t broken eye contact with her until she had concluded with her short speech about her predicament. She had to work through this on her own. “They’re here.” He said quietly, moving towards the door. Opening it quietly, Okal stood at the doorway, flanked by Rika, hand raised towards the door with intention to knock. Alem and Rika’s gazes met instantly; Alem acknowledged her as a stranger from another world, but Rika acknowledged him as incredibly handsome. Okal looked to Alem immediately, following his stare to Rika. He’d give the girl some credit, she could handle looking him directly in the eye for prolonged periods of time. That took some considerable talent, talent not everyone had. With Okal looking between the two and the girl with him not speaking, Alem took it upon himself to start them off. “You’re the girl from yesterday, the one I couldn’t see.” Alem began, and continued just before Okal or Rika could respond, “You came up silently, I only managed to hear Okal coming, and you clearly recognize me.” “Oh?”Rika spoke, her voice smooth and implying how impressed she was with his guess. “And how exactly do you know I recognize you?” “I can see it in your eyes. You’ve seen me once before, you’re studying my face closely.” “You’re handsome and you don't take shit from anyone. Where I come from, those are some fine qualities. You're practically husband material already.” Rika peered down at Okal, who watched the two of them with amusement. “I guess we better cut to the chase before I make you wait outside while I get more ‘acquainted’ with him. He’s smart, it’ll be good to have him with us.” “As I told you!” Okal chuckled. With Alem allowing them entry and closing the door firmly behind them, the pair would step into the back room that allowed them to take a look at Asahina. Rika appeared less than surprised given she saw her before, but Okal was on immediate alert. He had seen some strange sights in his time, but creatures like this were something he’d need to get used to. “He-hello, and your name would be…?” Okal was noticeably nervous addressing her. Alem assured him beforehand that Asahina wouldn’t attack anyone, but that didn’t stop her appearance from being unsettling. “First things first,”Rika cut in, approaching Asahina closer than Okal dared, “We need to change you back, and hopefully you won’t try to hurt us again. We helped you get out before and you attacked us,but I guess I can’t blame you for not recognizing friend from foe. I think you owe us a little cooperation for that. So, know anything about a magical weapon that can fix you, like a Keyblade?” ‘Keyblade’ Alem listened closely.

Ryoko grimaced at Salforge's hand and pushed it away. "You don't have to force yourself to act so agreeable, not for me. This is our job, remain competent and there will be no issues between us." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, making herself comfortable. "So, you must have something planned, go on." She rested a hand on her cheek and watched as the mercenary halfheartedly attempted to call Heartless to him, it didn't work. She let out a derisive yawn. "Come on, you know better." She chided as Salforge set up to try again. As he alluded to, the fact that he did not have what one could call a 'heart' made it rather impossible for him to reign over the black creatures. He enlisted the help of a nearby palace guard, Ryoko could see where this was going. She watched undaunted as Salforge killed the man and ensnared his heart inside his immovable blocks. The man's heart was the catalyst he needed, and with it he successfully summoned a large group of Heartless to command. He sent the creatures to hunt for Gavin, and soon the library was silent once more. "A very straight forward plan, Salforge, though at most it will only force them to abandon whatever refuge they reside in..." Ryoko's voice trailed off, and she slanted her eyes at him. "What did that boy give to you that was so important?" Asahina's ears twitched like those of a rabbit. The people Alem called had arrived, and she had no idea how they were going to react to her. She braced herself for the worst, just like she always did. The last thing she wanted to do was become upset and hurt someone. She moved her eyes to the left to see two people at the door. A short man that appeared to be a local, and a young woman that clearly was not from anywhere close to this world. She seemed vaguely familiar, but she didn't know why. Alem and the young woman exchanged words, apparently the blond was quite impressed with him, though that hardly mattered at the moment. She wondered what it would take for someone to be impressed by her... Okal awkwardly approached her, clearly putting on a front of what she assumed was supposed to be a calm demeanor. He stammered a greeting, but before she could answer him the woman spoke up. She turned her head upon hearing the word of the legendary blade, the Keyblade. She looked the woman in the eyes. "The Keyblade?..." She hadn't thought of the Keyblade in so long, it felt like a distant memory that had been dug out of the earth. She possessed a Keyblade, but she could not summon it, not as she was now. She could still feel it, however, her heart was too clouded to allow her to wield it. "The Keyblade is capable of unlocking and opening a heart, I have never seen it done before, yet it is possible in theory to unlock a heart and separate the darkness inside from the light. Such a thing was outlawed by the Keyblade masters, for a heart without it's counterpart makes for an incomplete human being." She looked from the woman's eyes and traced a circle around her chest with a finger. "I suppose... that doesn't apply to me though, now does it? This is pure conjecture, but I believe removing the darkness from me may be safe, due to it not truly belonging to me originally."